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I am Cecilia. A New Zealander who farms in Illinois.
My farms are organic and regenerative and full of stories. I have been writing here about environmentally sustainable farming and food and travel since 2011.
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LATEST POSTS
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SUMO PIG
HAVE you seen that postcard with the enormous sumo-wrestler. He stands with his feet wide apart to support his girth and the small child holding up his belly? (It is not a very happy image but it has been on stands for years you may have seen it). His feet are planted wide apart to…
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BEAT THE WAITING WITH A STICK
HUNKERING down. Closing one’s eyes and accepting that the weather has turned rotton seems to work for the animals. The rain has come with my least favourite wind. The Nor’East. Strong. And back in they went the animals. Two by two and three by three and even six. Into their beds and corners. Out they come…
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KICKING THE COWPATS
I was out kicking cowpats yesterday afternoon – as you do. As you would – if you had seasoned cowpats to kick. But they need to be properly seasoned. If you kick them when they are too wet they stick to your gumboots. if you kick them when they are too dry they fly like…
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SLEEPING WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN
POPPY has her doors open wide now and everything is so much calmer in the farrowing pen. I have the windows open in the house and both of us are losing that claustrophobic feeling.
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LET’S SEE WHAT WE’VE GOT
YESTERDAY I took a few hours off from the farm to go and have lunch with a friend. I don’t do this often as you know and I never know what I am going to be dealing with on my return. I left the Poppy’s big door open to the weather so she did not get…
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FROM SNOW TO GROW
I am moving quickly with this blog post this morning as my old laptop is sending ominous flickering warnings. The screen keeps blacking on and off. Last night I backed up all the pictures. I am surprised it even came on this morning. This is the WRONG time of the year for major purchases. But…
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